CONTROLLING NON-CONGESTION CONTROLLED FLOWS

• US 20140226469A1
• Filed: 02/12/2013
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADARA Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ADARA Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Stewart, Randall
• Granted Patent: US 9,596,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/19 at layers above the network layer network arrangements for networked applications for scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames

Abstract

A packet is received. A flow associated with the packet is determined. An access control (“AC”) policy for the flow is determined. The flow in a flow set is organized for transmission based at least on the AC policy. A bandwidth for the flow is monitored. The flow is marked for transmission based on the monitoring.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a packet;

determining a flow associated with the packet;

determining an access control (“

AC”

) policy for the flow; and

organizing the flow in a flow set for transmission based at least on the AC policy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

assigning the access control policy to the flow.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising

monitoring a bandwidth for the flow;

marking the flow for transmission based on the monitoring.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth and a priority rank.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow is defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address; and

type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

determining an arrival time for the flow;

and

organizing the flow in the flow set based on the arrival time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising

removing the flow from the flow set.

8. A machine-implemented method to control non-congestion controlled flows, comprising:

monitoring a number of flows in a flow set;

matching the number of flows against an access control (“

AC”

) policy; and

transmitting a packet associated with the flow based at least on the matching.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising

marking a flow in the flow set for transmission.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising

determining an arrival time for a flow in the flow set, wherein the packet is transmitted based on the arrival time.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising

discarding the packet.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the flows are defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address, and type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth;

and a priority rank.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising

monitoring a bandwidth for the flow set.

15. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium that has stored instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a packet;

determining a flow associated with the packet;

determining an access control (“

AC”

) policy for the flow; and

organizing the flow in a flow set based at least on the AC policy.

16. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

assigning the access control policy to the flow.

17. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

monitoring a bandwidth for the flow;

marking the flow for transmission based on the monitoring.

18. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth and a priority rank.

19. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the flow is defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address, and type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

20. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

determining an arrival time for the flow;

and

organizing the flow in the flow set based on the arrival time.

21. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

removing the flow from the flow set.

22. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium that has stored instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform operations to control non-congestion controlled flows, comprising:

monitoring a number of flows in a flow set;

matching the number of flows against an access control (“

AC”

) policy; and

transmitting a packet associated with the flow based at least on the matching.

23. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

marking a flow in the flow set for transmission.

24. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

determining an arrival time for a flow in the flow set, wherein the packet is transmitted based on the arrival time.

25. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising

discarding the packet.

26. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the flows are defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address, at d type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

27. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth;

and a priority rank.

28. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions which when executed cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising monitoring a bandwidth for the flow set.

29. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive a packet;

to determine a flow associated with the packet;

to determine an access control (“

AC”

) policy for the flow; and

to organize the flow in a flow set based at least on the AC policy.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processing unit is further configured to assign the access control policy to the flow.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processing unit is further configured to monitor a bandwidth for the flow;

and to mark the flow for transmission based on the monitoring.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth and a priority rank.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the flow is defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address, and type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine an arrival time for the flow;

and to organize the flow in the flow set based on the arrival time.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the processing unit is further configured to remove the flow from the flow set.

36. An apparatus to control non-congestion controlled flows, comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory, wherein the processing unit is configured to monitor a number of flows in a flow set;

to match the number of flows against an access control (“

AC”

) policy; and

to transmit a packet associated with one of the flows based at least on the matching.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to mark the flow in the flow set for transmission.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine an arrival time for a flow in the flow set, wherein the packet is transmitted based on the arrival time.

39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to discard the packet.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the flows are defined based on at least one of an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) source address, an IP destination address, a source port address, a destination port address;

a Media Access Control (“

MAC”

) source address, a MAC destination address, and type of service (“

TOS”

) data.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the AC policy is associated with at least one of a bandwidth;

and a priority rank.

42. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to monitor a bandwidth for the flow set.